The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-12-26

BROOKLYN, Dec. 20.--SCrYiceS today NJ
the Brooklyn Tabernacle were iubilant.
Prois. Browne and ALI with organ and
cornet, were unusually powerful, and Mrs.
Florence Rice-Knox sang three solos. The
thousands OF people who packed the
church and all the approaches seemed TO
join in the great chorus:
"Iie shall reign from pole 10 pole
With illirlilabie sway;
He shall reisn. when, like n scroll,
Iouder heavens have passsi away"
TheRev 7. Dewitt Talmage, ID,
took as the subject OF his sermon, "Thc
Barn and Its Surroundings" His text
was taken from Luke H., Is: "The shop
herds said one TO another, Let us now 60
even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come TO pass. DIR. Talmagc
said:
"0ne thousand years OF the worlds eN-
istence rolled painfully and YEARLY along,
and no Christ Two thousand years, and
no Christ. Three thousand years and no
Christ. -Four thousand years, and no
Christ. Give us a Christ had cried As.
syrian, and Persian, and Chaldcan and
Egyptian civilizations, but the lips Of the
earth aud the lips Of the sky made no
answer. The world had already been
aillucnt of genius Among poets had ap-
pcared Homer and Thcspis, and Aristo.
phancs and Sophoclcs and Euripides and
Alexis Hschylus, yet no Christ to be the
most poetic figure of the centuries.
Among historians had appeared lIcrodo.
tus and NenophOn and 1hucydides, but
no Christ, from whom all history was "a
date, backward and forward-B.C. and
AID. Among conqueros, Camillus, and
Manlius, and Rcgulus, and Naniippus,
and Hannibal, and Scipio, and Pompey,
and Caesar, yet no Christ, wi.o was TO be
cOnqueror OF earth and heaven.
But the slow century and the slow ycaI
and the slow month and the slow hour at
last arrived. The world had had matin,
or concerts in the morning and vespers oi
. concerts in the evening. but now It is "a
have concert at midnight. Tie black
window shutters Of q December night werC
/ thrown open. and some OF the best singer
oi n world where they all sing stood there
and putting back the drapcry OF cloud
chantcd a peace anthem, until all the
cchOcs OF hill and valley applaudcd and
(ncorcd the llallclujah chorus.
t'At last the world has Christ, and Just
The Christ IL needs. Come, let us go int
that Christmas scene ~ though We had
never before wor-hipcd at the manger
Here IL n Madonna worth looking NJ.
wondcr not that the most frequent namC
In all'land and in oil christian centuries y
Mary. And there aU Marys IN palace,
md Mnrys in cabins, aud though German
and French aud Italian and Spanish and
Engsh pronounce IL differently, they az,
al namesakcs of the one whom We find on
q bed OF straw with her pale face against
the soft cheek Of Christ in the night OF th,
Nativity. All the great painters hay,
tfied on canvas to present Mary and hci
child and the incidents Of that most ~
nous night oi the worlds history. Raphael
| Id three different masterpieces, celebrated
| thcm Tntorct and Guirlandjo surpassed
| themselves in the Alteration Of the Mngi
| tOrrcgio needed to do nothing more thar
bis Madonna 10 become immortal. III,
Aladonna Of the Lily, by Leonardo da Ninci
Nill kindlc the admiration Ot all ages
Nlurillo never won grcator triumph by hii
pencil than in Representation ol the Holy
Family. But all the galleries Of DrcsdcI
ar forgotten when | think oi the smal
room OF that gallery containing the Sistin'
Madonna. Yet all OF them were copies o
~. Matthew'S Madonna, and Lukc's Ma
donna, the inspired Madonna Of the Ol,
Book, which We had put in our hand
when W. were infants, and that We hOp'
tO have under our heads when VIC die.
Behold, IN the iin.t place, that on thl
ilHt night oi Christs lie tod hOnOcd the
brute creation. You cannot get into tina
Bethlehem barn without going past th
camcls, the mules, the dogs, tie oxen
The brutcs oi TINT stable heard the fin
cry of the infant Lord. Some oi the OLE
painters represent the oxen and camel
knccling that night before the newborn
babe. And well might they knccl llav
You ever thought that Christ came amonl
other things TO alleviate the sullCrin
Of the brute crcaiion2 Was II no
appropriate that he should during th
lnt lew DAYS and nights of his lil
bc surrounded by the dumb beasts, who's
moan and plant and believing have 70
ag,s been prayer 10 God for the arrcstin
oi their fortunes aud the rightng OF thci
wrOngs2 II did not merely happen 10
that the unintcllignt creatures OF Go
should have been that night in close neigh
borhood. Not kennel Ia all the cen
turiCs not a birds nest, not a worn-ou
honc ON tow.paih, not herd freezing i
the poorly.built cow.pcn, notaircigh I
summer Time bringing the boeycs to markJ
without water through thousand miles
ngony, not n surgeons room witnessing th
struggles OF fox or rabbit or pigeon or do
ln the horrors Of yiyiscction but has an IN
tercst In the fact that Christ vas born In
fiablc surrounded by brutos. lie romcm
bcn that night, and the prayers he hear
b their piuiul moan he will answer in tli
pnnishmcnt Of those who maltrrat ui
pub brutes. They surely have ~ muc
ght In this world a. We have.
sin the frst chapter Of Genesis 20
may SEQ that they were placed O
thc earth before man was; the iis
and fowl created the fifth day, and th
quadrupcd the morning OF tho sixth dal
md man not until the Afternoon Of tbs
day. The whale, the eagle, the lion an
all ,he lesser creatures Of the kind wei
predecessors OF the human family. The
have the world by right Of possession
They have also paid rent for the plac,
thew occupied. What an army of dcicn,
all over the land arc the faithful waic
|lop. And who can tell what the worl
|pwos 10 horse, and camel, and OK for tran
porlaiion' And robin and lark have, i
The cnntatas with which they have file
prharl and forest, more than paid for III
ew grains they have picked mp for the
rnsiennncc. When YOU abuse any creatul
pi God you strike its creator, and you II